ID fraud suspect arrested after 3,000 holographic stickers intercepted from China

Police have arrested a Calgary man alleged to be responsible for multiple identity theft and fraud offences.

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers intercepted a shipment from China last September containing over 3,000 counterfeit holographic stickers, believed to be intended for use on Canadian and American permanent resident cards.

After a three-month-long investigation, Calgary police arrested Garrit Glen English-Schleiermacher.

When officers executed a search warrant on a storage locker in southeast Calgary, they discovered evidence of the production of fake identity documents, police say.

Police say it became clear during the investigation that the suspect had allegedly created, and was living under, false identities to avoid 21 outstanding warrants for his arrest for other offences.

English-Schleiermacher is charged with eight Criminal Code offences related to fraud and identity theft.

"This seizure directly supports our mandate of upholding the integrity of our immigration system and demonstrates the important role we play in protecting our communities. We are proud of the work our officers and our partners do every day to keep Canada safe," said CBSA chief of operations Harpreet Sandhar.

Police said they released a picture of the suspect in hopes of generating more information about identity theft and fraud offences allegedly committed by him.

People should not carry their birth certificates or Social Insurance Number cards in their wallets or purses, police say, but should instead store them someplace secure to reduce the risk of identity theft.

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